How is Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex neurological disorder affecting almost 1.89 million people worldwide. It is an autoimmune condition that damages the protective cover (myelin) in the central nervous system, affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis that can lead to early diagnosis are weakness, numbness, improper vision, and difficulty with coordination. Diagnostic testing, medical history assessment, and clinical examination can help diagnose multiple sclerosis early, improving treatment outcomes.

Read further to learn about the diagnostic tools for multiple sclerosis!

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune medical condition that damages your brain and central nervous system (spinal cord). In this condition, your immune system mistakenly attacks on myelin cells which is the protective cover that surrounds your brain and spinal cord nerves.

Damage of myelin sheath interrupts signals that your nerves send rest of the body to perform functions like vision, sensation and movement.

Myelin damage can occur in your brain, spinal cord and nerves that supply your eyes. Multiple Sclerosis has no cure however treatment is available for minimizing ongoing damage and contribute in managing symptoms.

Early Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Key Signs and symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis includes:

• Changes in your vision like vision loss, double vision, optic neuritis
• Weakness in muscles (generally occur at one side of your body or face or below waist)
• Abnormal sensations or numbness

Other common symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis include:

• Clumsiness
• Fatigue
• Loss of balance and coordination
• facing problem with bladder regulation
• Dizziness
• Changes on mood
• Muscles stiffness & muscle spasms
• Difficulty in cognitive function such as learning, concentration, memory, thinking and judgement

These all symptoms may differ from person to person and it may fluctuate in severity from one day to the next. Initially, you may have few symptoms but it is rare that you will experienced all of them at a time.

Causes of Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Health experts are not sure about the exact reason behind developing MS. Studies suggests that following may contribute to an elevated risk of developing MS:

• Smoking
• Low levels of Vitamin D
• Active smoking is a well-established risk factor
• Exposure to the toxins such as second-hand smoking & pesticides
• Childhood obesity
• Genetic predisposition
• Exposure to the virus (mononucleosis)  

How to Diagnose Multiple Sclerosis?

The diagnostic tools used by healthcare professionals to detect multiple sclerosis are as follows:

1. Blood Tests

A blood test is a differential diagnostic procedure for multiple sclerosis. Although no specific blood tests are dedicated to multiple sclerosis, a blood test can provide supportive evidence in the diagnosis and rule out conditions similar to this medical condition.

2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

MRIs are essential for MS diagnosis because they can identify specific multiple sclerosis lesions (inflammation and damage areas) in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

It can also monitor the spread and progression of multiple sclerosis over different regions in the central nervous system. Clinical assessment and MRIs are the gold standard for diagnosing this neurological disorder.

3. Spinal Tap

A spinal tap, or lumbar puncture, is a diagnostic tool that analyzes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to track inflammation and immune system response to multiple sclerosis. The CSF can reveal the presence of specific proteins, like oligoclonal bands, that detect inflammation.

However, a spinal tap is not always definitive of multiple sclerosis. So, it must be analyzed together with other diagnostic tools like MRI to confirm the presence of inflammation. A developing antibody test is a quicker and less expensive alternative to traditional spinal tap tests.

4. Evoked Potential Tests

There are different types of evoked potential tests that quantify the electrical impulses of the central nervous system to diagnose multiple sclerosis:

1. Visual Evoked Potentials (VEPs)  : These tests analyze the visual pathway to measure the brain’s electrical response to visual stimuli.
2.  Brainstem Auditory Evoked Responses (BAERs) : BAERs assess the auditory pathway to measure the brain’s electrical response to sound stimuli.
3. Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEPs) : These tests analyze the sensory pathway to measure the brain’s electrical response to mild electrical stimulation.  

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